Book excerpt: A powerful young warrior must return to the perilous city she escaped years ago in the New York Times–bestselling author’s fantasy series debut. Seven years ago Kaylin fled the crime-riddled streets of Nightshade, knowing that something was after her. Children were being murdered—and every victim had the same odd markings that had mysteriously appeared on her own skin. . . . Since then, Kaylin has learned to read, she’s learned to fight, and she’s become one of the vaunted Hawks who patrol and police the City of Elantra. Alongside the winged Aerians and the immortal Barrani, she’s made a place for herself, far from the mean streets of her birth. But now children are dying once again. And a dark and familiar pattern is emerging. Kaylin is ordered back into Nightshade with a partner she knows she can’t trust, a dragon for a companion, and a device to contain her powers—powers that no other human has. Her task is simple—find the killer, stop the murders . . . and survive the attentions of those who claim to be her allies . . .